King Of The Country

Originally Aired: April 18, 1938The Lone Ranger #815, "King Of The Country," finds the masked rider heading to San Cruz County, where Zeke Parsons has consolidated power as sheriff, postmaster, and storekeeper. Zeke discovers a legal loophole allowing him to force able-bodied citizens to work on county roads without pay in lieu of taxes. What begins as legitimate government work quickly transforms into something far more corrupt. Zeke grows overconfident and begins using the conscripted labor to improve his private property, building roads on his own land while threatening resisters with jail time or worse.When townspeople like Lige Cummins and Sam begin protesting the illegal arrangement, Zeke uses his position as sheriff and his deputy Ben to intimidate them into submission. The jail fills with those who refuse to work, and Zeke denies food to prisoners who cannot pay. As tensions escalate and Zeke's threats grow more menacing, the stage is set for the Lone Ranger's intervention to restore justice to San Cruz County and end Zeke Parsons' tyrannical reign.